Ousted South Korean President Yoon set to leave official residence

SEOUL: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is due to return to his private home on Friday from the official residence, with crowds of both supporters and opponents expected to turn out to greet his motorcade after his removal from office a week ago.

The Constitutional Court last Friday upheld Yoon's impeachment, capping four months of unprecedented constitutional turmoil after his short-lived attempt to impose martial law in December sent shockwaves through Asia's fourth-largest economy.

South Korea will now hold a snap election on June 3 and questions remain over whether Yoon might still play a role given how his impeachment appears to have deepened polarisation in society and stirred up his conservative supporters.

Yoon is due to be driven on Friday in a motorcade from the official residence with his wife and more than 10 dogs and cats to his private apartment in a 37-story building in Seoul.

The former president still faces a trial on accusations he led an insurrection, a charge that is punishable by death or a life sentence if he is convicted.

The race to replace Yoon kicked off this week with nearly 20 hopefuls expected to contest for the candidacy of the conservative People Power Party that is in a fight to retain the presidency against a populist liberal who leads in the polls.

Questions about security arrangements for Yoon, which he is entitled to as a former president, in a densely populated residential area were cited in media reports as a major reason for the delay in his move.

Former South Korean presidents have typically moved to detached houses after leaving office.

Yoon has not been seen in public since he was released from prison on March 8 when a court cancelled his detention warrant in the criminal case against him. He did not attend the impeachment ruling by the Constitutional Court on April 4.

But a number of his ruling party members and supporters have been seen visiting the official residence where Yoon reportedly discussed the election scheduled for June 3.

Trailing in Polls

Candidates are set to face an uphill battle against the populist former leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung, who declared his bid on Thursday, according to polls.

All the conservative candidates are receiving single-digit support in polls, with former labour minister Kim Moon-soo leading the pack at 9%, far behind Lee at 37%, according to a Gallup Korea poll released on Friday.

Lee, who faces potential legal obstacles to his presidential bid from various legal cases, has pledged to fix economic polarisation and spur economic growth if elected.

Unveiling his policy vision on Friday, Lee said he wanted to help the industrial powerhouse make another leap by leveraging the crisis triggered by Yoon's martial law to drive a focus on advancing cutting edge science and technology.

“To survive in the ruthless global battlefield, I make an appeal to you to let’s shift the paradigm from copying to leading,“ he told a news conference.

Yoon has said his December 3 martial law was meant to expose the abuse of parliamentary majority by the Democratic Party to stall his policies and not meant to impose full military rule.

The Democratic Party and his critics say his actions amounted to an insurrection that nearly destroyed democracy. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davies and Christian Schmollinger)